Sunday, August 21, 2011

Players and managers have bad years. So do front offices. The Twins’ front office is having a terrible year. Not only have there been a series of questionable personnel moves, but Smith also probably has botched any chance of re-signing potential free agents Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel.

He has handled their situations abysmally. Remember that glut of outfielders everyone was talking about? Well, it looks like the Twins will be down to Ben Revere and Denard Span next spring, with no minor leaguers ready to step in.

Fifteen days before dumping Young, who had become increasingly portly and lackadaisical, Smith stood pat at the non-waiver trade deadline. But he should have been either a buyer or a seller. The Twins were six games back but clearly on the slide. They’d lost eight of 14 heading into the deadline. But, OK, if he thought they were in it, he should have acquired help.

...What happened to that ability to evaluate talent?

- There has been no evidence that Tsuyoshi Nishioka is a major league player. Double A, maybe. People have said, well, he fractured his leg, so give him time. But a leg injury does not explain why he always is in the wrong place. Or why he tries to backhand balls he should get in front of and tries to get in front of balls he should backhand. Or why he bails out of the batter’s box as if the pitched baseball were some sort of explosive device. But it might explain why he is much slower than advertised.

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